East Sussex town sees new cultural centre open in former council offices

The former council buildings on Southover Road have been transformed over a 12-week period into two large galleries, a learning studio, a shop and a new café called Furci’s run by Lewes business Caccia & Tails.

The new space is a partnership between Lewes District Council and cultural institution Charleston – who hope the centre will bring in 100,000 visitors to the town and £4.2m in revenue each year

Nathaniel Hepburn, Director of Charleston, says: ‘We’re seeing this phase very much as an experiment and we’re serious about hearing from the local community to imagine the future of what could be the first permanent civic art museum in Lewes. There is a space within the building where visitors can share their thoughts on what they’d like to happen here. We’re already seeing that being inclusive, for example to children, families, carers and older people, is really important to people, as is creating space and opportunities for local artists.”

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The opening party welcomed guests including the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, the Mayor of Lewes, the many contractors involved in creating the new space and an impressive roster of artists, curators, writers, fashion and media people from across the country.

The initial season of programming at Charleston in Lewes runs until January 7, 2024 and includes two exhibitions – Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and Fashion and Jonathan Baldock: Through the Joy of the Senses

Bring No Clothes is a ticketed exhibition exploring the Bloomsbury group’s impact on fashion, while the Jonathan Baldock immersive exhibition features colourful large-scale sculptures by contemporary artist Jonathan Baldock and is completely free to enter.

Charleston will also open its new exhibitions at its home in Firle next week – an exhibition of rarely-seen early drawings by David Hockney depicting the seemingly ordinary moments of life, alongside an exhibition of new work by artist Osman Yousefzada that explores the immigration experience. These exhibitions are open from September 23 until March 10.

Councillor Johnny Denis, Cabinet Member for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Leisure, said: “I’m delighted that education is at the heart of our partnership with Charleston and I’m looking forward to seeing students getting inspiration from the learning on offer in the new cultural centre. It’s fantastic for shops and businesses too that many more visitors will be coming to Lewes as a result.”